Genesis 37:26
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
25 And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.
28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
- KJV
- And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
- WEB
- Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
- ASV
- And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?
- DARBY
- And Judah said to his brethren, What profit is it that we kill our brother and secrete his blood?
- BLB
- And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit [is it] if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
- ÅB
- Da sa Juda til sine brødre: Hva gagner det at vi slår var bror ihjel og skjuler drapet?
- OTB
- Juda sa til sine brødre: "Hva vinning er det om vi dreper vår bror og dekker over hans blod?
- B1930
- Da sa Juda til sine brødre: Hvad gagner det at vi slår var bror ihjel og skjuler drapet?
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Genesis 37:20
“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
Read in contextGenesis 4:10
“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Read in contextEzekiel 24:7
For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.
Read in contextJeremiah 41:8
But ten of the men among them said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the field—wheat, barley, oil, and honey!” So he refrained from killing them with the others.
Read in contextRomans 6:21
What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death.
Read in context2 Samuel 1:16
For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
Read in contextMatthew 16:26
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Read in contextGenesis 25:32
“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
Read in context